Social Driver

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a national health foundation focused on the needs of military families called the Elizabeth Dole Foundation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Social Driver?

We were trying to build macro-awareness very early in the foundation’s existence in a multi-dimensional way. This included digital, social, and more effective backend management of data.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

All of the web properties at our foundation are multifaceted. We have a foundation website and a campaign site, so they built both of those from the ground up. They revamped the foundation’s site, too. Social Driver is our daily manager of social media properties, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

They’re both our strategists and executors on that front. They do PPC and SEO work for us, too. All of the content generation, graphic and video support, and creative design and strategy is done by them. 

What is the team composition?

When we worked on the website, a team of about 5–6 worked with us and a project manager. They provide people for design work and three people social media support. Anthony (Co-Founder) and Thomas (Co-Founder & CEO) have worked with us on overall strategy across the projects we’re working on. 

How did you come to work with Social Mark?

I was introduced to them through another consultant we have in the PR space. They recommended Social Driver as one of the best web development firms, which is what we really needed at the time. Our relationship blossomed from there into the other SEO and strategy work. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve climbed over $1 million since we’ve started. 

What is the status of this engagement?

They’ve been working with us since around July 2016 and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Their work substantially grew our social media following and our capabilities across the board. Our social media following has grown by about 200% since they took over. We had a really immature Twitter existence but now we have a sophisticated presence and we do chats and partnerships through it. Our following has skyrocketed on that platform alone. 

Our ability to drive people to our website has grown substantially and we’ve zeroed in on getting our content to the people who will engage and become donors and supporters for us. 

How did Social Driver perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been excellent. Unlike a lot of firms I’ve worked with, they’re as good at design and creative as they are at organizing and project management. When we have meetings, we want to go to their office because of their culture. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The organization culture there is really strong — they retain teammates and people who leave usually come back. Anthony and Thomas are really good leaders who nurture their team. Their team has a super creative culture and everyone is happy, motivated, and passionate about their work. That is a huge plus because a lot of partners have turnover, but they’ve kept a lot of the same people on our account for a long time. 

They are also innovators. They don’t rest on the laurels of what they’re asked to do — they help to think about where else you can go. They’re always giving us good ideas that aren’t focused on making them money; they want to do what’s best for our organization. 

They show a lot of ownership for their clients. For example, I launched a search for a COO, and Anthony and Thomas have checked in with me every week and sent me leaders, so it’s clear they care about their clients.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

When we asked them to build our web property, I should have thought more about our long term web development goals. We ended up creating a lot of project sites that we might have been able to predict earlier on. In the context of what we asked them to, it could have been helpful for them to challenge us to see the long term goals, 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Put in as much as Social Driver will put in. Give them the time they ask for at all levels of the organization because they’ll do better work for you. They appropriately have a good, heavy onboarding process to understand everything and it’s extremely well-executed, so if leadership doesn't take it seriously, they’ll miss a huge opportunity to transform their operation. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Washington DC Economic Partnership is a non-profit organization responsible for attracting and retaining businesses in Washington, DC. My position at the company was to oversee all programming and business attraction marketing activities, including DC's official presence at SXSW each year.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Social Driver?

We have hired Social Driver for a number of projects over the years, including digital strategy, social media strategy and content development and website design. We relied on Social Driver for several years to oversee our larger social media campaigns, including our SXSW campaign each year.

What were your goals for this project?

Our overarching goals each year were to (1) present Washington, DC as a national tech and creative hub, (2) Expose entrepreneurs, talent, and investors to opportunities in DC, and (3) amplify DC's presence and programming at SXSW to encourage attendance.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We requested proposals from several DC-based marketing firms in the District. We needed a firm that understands the District and the specific industries we wanted to promote, and a firm that understood best practices in utilizing social media to target specific audiences at SXSW.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Social Driver was responsible for everything from strategy to execution. They took our target outcomes and developed a strong strategy to achieve them. They took our brand guidelines and developed all content and visual, developed an executed a paid campaign strategy, and managed all on-the-ground real-time content across all platforms. They also made sure to track the metrics we needed to share with our key stakeholders and board members, and developed an extensive close-out report.

What was the team composition?

Leading up to SXSW each year, they would have at least 3-4 people on the project team, consisting of a project manager, content developers, and designers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Each year, we set metrics that we wanted to achieve to gauge the overall reach of our campaign: impressions, social media engagement, media coverage, WeDC House attendance, and meetings with businesses. Every year, Social Driver would far exceed any metrics set for them, and helped us to elevate our brand and campaign beyond what we knew was possible. They were true partners in the campaign with us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Social Driver's way of working with me and our team gave me a sense of comfort that is hard to have with many marketing firms. Their team was always professional, always prepared, and ready to ask all the right questions and make sure they understood what we wanted. They established workflows that allowed them to work collaboratively with our marketing team and the many layers of approval we needed to manage with our stakeholders, and was always able to adjust and deliver as needed.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Social Driver was the one marketing vendor that I worked with that I never had to worry about if they were going to deliver. They gave me peace of mind when i was drowning in everything else related to our projects, and it's hard to find that. They were able to do that because of the way they worked and essentially became an extension of our team, they cared about the results as much as we did, and knew how to get it done. They strive to be at the top of their game when it comes to digital strategy, and it shows in their work and the results.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I don't have any areas of improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former director of communications and external affairs for a nonprofit organization. The focus of the organization is advocating around federal and national higher education policy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Social Driver?

We hired Social Driver to help us launch our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their team worked closely with ours to launch our site on a small budget. Social Driver guided us through the process of launching the site, providing an overall project plan and strategy. The project involved a wide range of people, and the team worked to engage them on intake and strategy before getting to work on the design. 

We provided the majority of the written copy and content strategy, but their work was much more focused on visual design. Along the way, they provided us with input and recommendations and held us accountable for making sure we got everything done.  

What is the team composition?

Day to day, we were interacting with a team of about 3-4 people. We had a dedicated digital manager, technical strategist, and account manager through the project. As the project evolved, we engaged Social Driver for other work as well, and worked with more people. 

How did you come to work with Social Driver?

I knew Anthony (Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer) through mutual friends and contacts. We went through an RFP process, and ended up picking them out of a group of several companies.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place from December 2017–April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Social Driver helped us launch a really good website. We received great feedback from our peers and other allied organizations after the site launched. Having a professionally done website made a statement for our organization, which was brand new at the time. It helped give legitimacy and credibility to our experience, and the site was ultimately important to our growth.

Internally, we enjoyed working with them and were impressed by the quality of their contributions. From a talent perspective, Social Driver is a team of young, outgoing, talented, creative people. They also took a lot of uncertainty out of the project. It would’ve been very time consuming and precarious if I’d have been running point on my own. 

Overall, I’d give it very high marks. At the price we did the project for, I don’t think we could’ve done much better than Social Driver. 

How did Social Driver perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a very effective in-house approach to project management, which guided us very well through the process of launching the website. The team came with a very specific timeline and process centered around major deliverables, which helped us stay on track.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Social Driver really strives to create as much consistency in the process of managing and building a website as possible. That includes everything from the technical build-out to the timelines, for the express reason that they want to be able to focus more of their time and energy on the design and creative. The end result is really impressive. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was a little bit of churn among the Social Driver team while we were working with them. However, they were really good about minimizing the impact of those changes so they didn’t disrupt the project. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Follow their process and know that it will get you some really high quality digital and creative work that’ll not only make you feel great, but make you a hero among your colleagues.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and president of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. We represent LGBT individuals and businesses by helping them grow their enterprise and client base. This primarily happens through connecting them with contracting opportunities with major Fortune 500 companies as well as state and local government entities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Social Driver?

We hired them for their web design and development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For our initial project, they handled website development and helped proliferate our brand. The second project was focused on building out our own unique database. They were helpful in suggesting ideas for the database and working with us to creatively maximize the budget as well as return on the product and service.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with the two principals for a long time. Also, we’ve worked with about 4–5 additional team members from design to maintenance.

How did you come to work with Social Driver?

We were really pleased to work with Social Driver because they’re a certified LGBT business enterprise through my organization. We try to work with our own suppliers at every opportunity we can. On top of that, we were really impressed with their pitch. We had several companies pitch us and they were the best pitch by far.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $100,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in November 2011. We’ve been partners for almost a decade. At this current time, they’re providing support and maintenance. This includes updates to the site and database.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Social Driver was very thoughtful about achieving our needs and objectives. They were successful in creating the user journey we wanted our users to have when they visited our website. Over the years, a number of people have commented on the uniqueness of our database compared to others.

We were able to engage in a web redesign project before COVD-19, but it was shelved for this year. Our team will work with them again on our new web development needs after the pandemic. They’re a lot of fun to work with.

How did Social Driver perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re good at project management. The tell-tale is whether or not I have to get involved. If it gets to the point that I need to call them, then we have a problem. In all these years, I haven’t had to reach out and ask what the status of a project was or say we really need to pick up the pace on something. Social Driver has been very responsive to my team. I only interact with them when we’re talking big picture product or development.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with their creativity and critical thinking skills; those go hand-in-hand. They have an excellent way of solving problems by deeply looking into them in a way that others can’t.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve managed everything pretty well. There was a time when they experienced explosive growth that may have challenged their bandwidth, but that was alleviated. Like any company that experiences this, they had growing pains but responded quite well and are a well-oiled machine.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be sure to have a conversation at the beginning of the engagement with their principals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a membership organization for institutions of higher education and higher education associations. I’m the director of government relations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Social Driver?

They helped us create a modern and easy-to-use website for an advocacy issue known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The developed a site to explain this complicated issue. It also includes an advocacy tool that our members could use and animation.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 6–7 people. We had a project manager, an animator, an editor, and someone on the technical side.

How did you come to work with Social Driver?

We’ve worked with them before on an advocacy project. We were impressed with their work then and thought they’d be a good fit for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

The project was between $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2020 and we wrapped up the project in mid-may, but I know we can contact them if needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We work with a coalition of other advocated on the issue and they’ve all expressed appreciation for the website and its easy-to-use tools. It’s clearly laid out.

How did Social Driver perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very hands-on and responsive to any concerns we raised. We had weekly phone calls but also sent a lot of emails to talk about how the site would look and the different tools we were looking to create.

We used Google Drive for the editorial process, and I got frustrated with the technology, but they good about responding if I sent them an email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were friendly and the speed of their communication; they were very responsive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be willing to connect with them because they’re available. It was easy to jump on a call and they were responsive to that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide custom content and communications outreach solutions for public affairs and advocacy groups in the tech or telecommunications industries. I’m responsible for developing strategy, refining messaging, and making our content appealing. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Social Driver?

One of our clients is a global industry association for an industry that’s ubiquitous in our daily lives. They were struggling to earn the support because government officials in their meetings rarely know have electronics manufacturing works. We wanted to make a video that engages people on the importance of electronics and daily life.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Ideally, the video would encourage viewers to support and learn more about the industry. I knew that this video would only be truly successful if it had a very strong social promotion. I got a clear idea of what my client wanted and coordinated with Social Driver to refine a script I drafted. They created the storyboard and then the 90-second video. The final product included well-chosen stock video clips and some animation work. With the client’s input, we were able to make iterations on the product until it was ready to be launched. The video just went live recently. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with Anthony (Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer), Leslie (VP of Operations), Victor (Director of Media and Creative), and a few junior teammates. 

How did you come to work with Social Driver?

We’d been in contact with them for quite some time and had been looking for an opportunity to work together. In this instance, I knew that we would need video and animation work, so I reached out to them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $10,000–$25,000 in their work.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from March–June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

In just a week since the launch of the video, it’s received about 44,000 views on social media channels. They were a very creative team. 

How did Social Driver perform from a project management standpoint?

The process manager was able to quickly resolve issues, so all I had to worry about was delivering information back to my client. The deadline slipped once or twice due to the chain of feedback that was necessary, but we ended up with an excellent final product.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

The final execution of the creative was excellent, which was a mix of live-action videos and animations. They told my client's story very well. The communication was very orderly as well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be engaged in the process with input and feedback for a great result.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a full-service public relations agency. We primarily work in the education, healthcare, nonprofit, and local DC communities. We do traditional PR in terms of capturing stories and sharing stories, as well as leveraging and highlighting them to help our clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Social Driver?

We have very minimal digital expertise, and we needed help executing full-scale digital campaigns.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over a year ago we had a client who wanted to bring in people who were in the DC area or visiting. Social Driver devised and strategized a digital campaign that helped dramatically increase attendance.

We always work together seamlessly because we handle the traditional media side and they take care of all of the digital aspects. We’re able to promote the digital assets, and on their side, they’re able to promote the news coverage, whether it’s the Washington Post or a CBS News affiliate. They truly help us provide integrated services for our clients.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 3–4 members of their team.

How did you come to work with Social Driver?

I found them through their CTO and chief strategy officer. I was on a panel which he attended before they started the company.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent approximately $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together on this project in February 2019 and wrapped up in April 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

As a team, we overperformed. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. We were looking forward to doing it again this year, but then COVID-19 hit.

How did Social Driver perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is responsive and meets all of its deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re always on the cutting edge of what new platforms are and always have a good understanding of how to use social media. It’s their specialty and they do it extremely well. They certainly understand platforms in ways that haven’t been discovered or written about yet.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Maybe this is because they have a younger staff, but they tend to have high turnover. I don’t think that’s a negative thing, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to be really open to the experience. Enjoy their work because it can be really effective. New things don’t need to be scary.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of the Women’s Foundation. We’re a nonprofit organization focused on advancing all women’s economic and civic leadership.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Social Driver?

We have an initiative called “The Appointments Project”, which has evolved into getting women appointed into the government at the city and state levels. We’re definitely looking to move to the federal level as well. We wanted to scale this project across the country, sine we only have a regional focus. We asked Social Driver to establish our website to achieve that goal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a website for our initiative, so it could have a national presence. They also created it to be scalable, and grow as we do. The process was extremely collaborative and we spoke a about our goals. They took that information and created a strategy and technical plan on how to effectively create this new site.

We also took this information and worked on a branding and creating our brand identity with a separate firm. They worked really closely with the branding firm to be able to incorporate their expectation into the site.

What is the team composition?

We had six people working on this project, with even more behind the scenes providing the support. We had one main point of contact.

How did you come to work with Social Driver?

We found them through a word-of-mouth referral. We were told they would be a good solution for what we were trying to accomplish. A real tipping point for us is that they had done what we were trying to accomplish with other nonprofit organizations. They were able to talk about specific examples of how they were able to take organizations like ours to accomplish their goals.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2018 and wrapped up in May 2019. We've also received frequent check-ins from them to ensure the quality was good and asking if we need any support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We got great feedback on the design and how organized the informational content is. We also continue to get good feedback on the user-friendliness aspect of the site too. The design is really good, too.

How did Social Driver perform from a project management standpoint?

They were really good; project management is definitely a strong skillset for them. Everything was organized, timeline driven, and clear on expectations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness stands out. Whenever we had a question or an idea, they had an extremely quick turnaround time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. If anything, they could use more diversification of industries that they serve.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend a lot more time on the frontend than what you think you’ll need because it will pay off in the end. We did that to make sure they understood what our goals and the objectives were. It served the project extremely well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the advocacy and outreach director at the Children’s Hospital Association. We’re a member-based organization of children’s hospitals across the United States, and internationally. We have two offices, one in Kansas City, and another in Washington, DC. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Social Driver?

We hired them to help us develop our social media best practices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have two social media properties. One is for the association at large, and the other is for our advocacy campaigns. They walked us through how to better understand our respective audiences for each of our properties. They also provided content for our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

They also helped us identity social influencers that we could partner with to further our message. Their team put together lists of accounts to engage with that shared our mission and values.  

What is the team composition?

We had one main point of contact, Anthony (Co-Founder). 

How did you come to work with Social Driver?

One of my colleagues received a recommendation for Social Driver. We looked at several vendors that had experience with member-based organizations and nonprofits. We felt that Social Driver best understood both sides of our business. 

How much have you invested in them?

We spent around $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from February 2014–December 2016. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We were impressed with their professionalism and commitment to the project. They also take constructive feedback well and are great at making changes accordingly. I think that speaks to their attentiveness and responsiveness. 

At first, we were underwhelmed by the results. However, they listened to our concerns and dug a bit deeper to figure out how to engage more deeply with influencers to get what we needed. They provided us with what we were looking for without charging us extra. 

How did Social Driver perform from a project management standpoint?

They were outstanding in terms of project management. In the beginning, we met with Anthony in person in Kansas City to go over the project in person. After that, we continued to follow up regularly over the phone. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their accessibility, creativity, and innovation were the most impressive. They demonstrated that they understood what we were looking for and showed us that they knew how that could be achieved. 

When we were looking for a vendor for a new project, they were selected again by team members who weren’t previously involved with them for our old projects. Although we had to put this new project on pause, we’re hoping to work with them again for another project once the economy starts to recover from COVID-19. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not particularly. As I said earlier, when I provided constructive feedback, they responded well. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

I don’t have specific advice. However, they’re able to fulfill the needs for basic projects, but they stand out from other firms because of their creativity and innovation. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP for policy development and government relations at a national policy and advocacy organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Social Driver?

We wanted to get the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to increase funding for internet access in schools. We needed help raising awareness of the issue and put pressure on the FCC to vote for that funding.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Social Driver provided content for a social media campaign and managed our social media outreach. We also worked with them to combine organic video development in several 15-second videos.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with 3-4 people from their team.

How did you come to work with Social Driver?

Some other colleagues in our office had worked with them on a prior project, so that’s how I learned of them. They were able to get a ton of attention for us on a previous project.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $15,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

For this project, we began working together in August 2014, and we wrapped up in December 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They helped us achieve the vote we were looking for. We had 20 million people reach 63,000 actions taken. Our videos received 51,000 views and, when they had the vote, the FCC actually included our hashtag.

How did Social Driver perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. We’re even working with them on a new project at the moment.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re smart and strategic. They think about things that we don’t and they’re a real value add.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to be specific about what your goals are, so they can design the campaign around that.